The Legend of Skye

[Carles]

The Legend of Skye came out yesterday! 

If you played the demo you will know that you will have to put yourself in the shoes of a druid to save the forest. You will find a point and click adventure with challenging puzzles, lots of humor and beautiful pixel art.









It is available on Steam, GOG and Itch:
Steam
GOG
Itch

Here are some of the first reviews:

dasklapptsonicht
oneupnerd
agotyawards


And this is the first part of the walkthrough in case you want to consult it at any time of doubt.

[agentbauer]

Awesome game, captures the vibes of the old Lucasfilm games like Loom or Monkey Island perfect.
The look and feel is perfect Loom, the humor like Simon the Sorcerer or Monkey Island.
There are some typos left in the german translation but otherwise no bugs.
And no Ananas on Pizza.
Congratulations for the release of that gem. And the game is huge...some hard puzzles but often logical.

[panicstudios]

Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Qué tal va la cosa compañer@?

He visto que has sacado un juego hace poquito tiempo y es más, lo tenía ya en mi lista de deseados por lo que lo compraré próximamente para jugarlo y disfrutarlo.
Me comentó un usuario de la comunidad AGS, que sacará a final de mes un juego de aventuras gráficas, que hablas castellano y yo me dedico como hobby a hacer gameplays de diversos juegos (sobre todo el horror) y posteriormente una pequeña entrevista amigable e informal con diversos desarrolladores por si estabas interesad@ me haría mucha ilusión!

No me enrollo más que parezco una persiana y estamos en contacto si lo deseas.
Un saludete!! 

[Carles]

Awesome game, captures the vibes of the old Lucasfilm games like Loom or Monkey Island perfect.
The look and feel is perfect Loom, the humor like Simon the Sorcerer or Monkey Island.
There are some typos left in the german translation but otherwise no bugs.
And no Ananas on Pizza.
Congratulations for the release of that gem. And the game is huge...some hard puzzles but often logical.

Thank you for your comments agentbauer! I am very happy that people are liking the game so much. It's an honor to be compared to these games you mention.

Sorry that there are some typos in the German translation. Let's see if we can fix them later in an update. And about bugs, I think the game is very clean, but just today I have been informed about one (although it is complicated to see it). 

I know the puzzles can be difficult, but if people say that most of them are logical I'm happy!

Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Qué tal va la cosa compañer@?

He visto que has sacado un juego hace poquito tiempo y es más, lo tenía ya en mi lista de deseados por lo que lo compraré próximamente para jugarlo y disfrutarlo.
Me comentó un usuario de la comunidad AGS, que sacará a final de mes un juego de aventuras gráficas, que hablas castellano y yo me dedico como hobby a hacer gameplays de diversos juegos (sobre todo el horror) y posteriormente una pequeña entrevista amigable e informal con diversos desarrolladores por si estabas interesad@ me haría mucha ilusión!

No me enrollo más que parezco una persiana y estamos en contacto si lo deseas.
Un saludete!! 

Thanks for your support panicstudios! I hope you also enjoy the game when you try it.

If you want we can talk privately about your gameplays and interviews.
Best regards!

[splat44]

Possible bug:

Spoiler

If try using fishing with Magnet with fountain before getting child arrows and showing dua membership card to armour merchant, game seems to freezing

[close]

[Carles]

Hi, I don't understand the possible bug. Could you describe me better the situation and what happened to you? Thanks!

I have now been testing and everything seems to be correct for me. I would need more information on what happened to you.

Anyway the fountain puzzle has nothing to do with the arrows in the armorer, it shouldn't interfere in any way.

[splat44]

It must have been my laptop causing to freeze.

Very challenging game especially with "enchanted forest" in which I completed

Hi, I don't understand the possible bug. Could you describe me better the situation and what happened to you? Thanks!

I have now been testing and everything seems to be correct for me. I would need more information on what happened to you.

Anyway the fountain puzzle has nothing to do with the arrows in the armorer, it shouldn't interfere in any way.

[Carles]

Yes, many people think that the enchanted forest is a difficult part. A few days ago I made an update to the game in which I added a subtle hint for that puzzle. I hope it helps, but I can assure you it doesn't spoil it. 

[splat44]

Well, I am sure that hint will come handy.

Spoiler

It took several tries, until I saw flower, moss on rock (occaionally), I finally understood those paths according witch notion.

[close]

I just completed and must have been biggest dream ever lol (I think you know where I am coming from) lol

Yes, many people think that the enchanted forest is a difficult part. A few days ago I made an update to the game in which I added a subtle hint for that puzzle. I hope it helps, but I can assure you it doesn't spoil it. 

[Carles]

I know what you mean

About the new hint in the enchanted forest:

Spoiler

Now when Skye looks at the stone faces she tells you that they have moss only on one side.

[close]

[splat44]

Warning:

Spoiler

I replayed game and was solving forest thing without speaking to the Witch first. So what can you do to change that?

[close]

Ending dialog with percival after game:

Spoiler

Although main charactor didn't mention her name to him during game, how did find out her name at beginning while  speaking with chief?

[close]

I know what you mean

About the new hint in the enchanted forest:

Spoiler

Now when Skye looks at the stone faces she tells you that they have moss only on one side.

[close]

[Carles]

You pay attention to the details!

There is no problem in solving the maze without talking to the person who first gives the instructions. I already took it into account and no bug or anything similar appears.

Are you sure Skye doesn't mention her name in any of the dialogue options? In any case, I don't think there is any problem. 

[splat44]

Entire observation isn't on bug or problems just on dialog improvements but it's to you to decide:

Maze:

Spoiler

Ok, Shaman did mentioned seeing but again I solved that area without seeing her.

Therefore, if enter that forest without speaking with witch after speaking with Shaman and by landing on first warning "I start getting tire...", perhaps by adding "Maybe Shaman is righ to speak with witch before"

If already spoken with her and landing on same warning, by adding "I have a feeling I may need speaking with her again"

[close]

Percival ending dialog:

Spoiler

Entire ending dialog assume I share her name to all but I only share that with tribe chief. when meeting with percival I simply started using "Hands up..." dialog.

After all it was percival that started conversation by mentioning her name during end dialog

[close]

You pay attention to the details!

There is no problem in solving the maze without talking to the person who first gives the instructions. I already took it into account and no bug or anything similar appears.

Are you sure Skye doesn't mention her name in any of the dialogue options? In any case, I don't think there is any problem. 

[Carles]

Yes, I will consider this option. Later on I will probably make an update to correct small errors in the dialogs in all languages. Fortunately, they do not have any importance in the course of the adventure. They are small details that few people will notice. 

[lorenzo]

I recently finished The Legend of Skye and it's the most fun full-length adventure game I've played in quite a while!
It nails the feeling old games had, with a lot of locations to explore and plenty of puzzles to solve in a non-linear fashion -- puzzles that are often quite clever and challenging. The design of some parts of the game, especially the city, is quite impressive.

It also has the light-hearted atmosphere of those old games, with funny dialogues and "light" comedy. It feels like a classic adventure while being new and fresh at the same time.

If you're in the mood for some classic adventure game puzzle-solving in a lighthearted setting, definitely check it out!

Huge congratulations to Carles, for finishing and releasing such a long and complex adventure!

[Carles]

I recently finished The Legend of Skye and it's the most fun full-length adventure game I've played in quite a while!
It nails the feeling old games had, with a lot of locations to explore and plenty of puzzles to solve in a non-linear fashion -- puzzles that are often quite clever and challenging. The design of some parts of the game, especially the city, is quite impressive.

It also has the light-hearted atmosphere of those old games, with funny dialogues and "light" comedy. It feels like a classic adventure while being new and fresh at the same time.

If you're in the mood for some classic adventure game puzzle-solving in a lighthearted setting, definitely check it out!

Huge congratulations to Carles, for finishing and releasing such a long and complex adventure!

Thank you Lorenzo. 

Although we both agree on the same things that should be polished. 

[Ramorama]

I already congratulated privately and on Twitter, but I also want to say it here: The Legend of Skye is a fun game and I've enjoyed it a lot!
Some puzzles were too tricky, but still logical.

Good Work, Carles! Looking forward to play your next game.

[heltenjon]

As I'm playing the games in the FYC thread, the last couple of days, I've been playing this one.

I'm liking it a lot. I'll be forced to take a break if I'm to try out the rest of the FYC games before the nomination date, but it's tempting to keep pushing on this one!

So: The inspirations are clear and not hidden in any way. The mountain overview, city street with clock tower, Cartographer Wally-lookalike RPG store owner and more point to Monkey Island, and by extension other Lucasarts games. The game is a comedy and gets away with these allusions and some other gags openly breaking the fourth wall without much trouble. I haven't really fallen for Skye's personality yet, though. Her dialogue options are Guybrush without being Guybrush...but perhaps it will grow on me. (Did I forget to mention the MI-style music? Mentioned!)

The story is long and silly (as in entertaining). I think I still have a lot left, as I haven't entered the castle yet. Looking carefully at other reviews, trying not to spoil anything, I believe this means I have plenty to do yet. While I haven't fallen in love with Skye yet, there are plenty of other characters with great personalities. The naked druid is the first one you encounter, and darn if he isn't one of the funniest, too. At least until I met the baker. Puzzles involving these characters has to do with learning about them and their peculiarities, which I find to be very satisfying gameplay.

The puzzles are, along with the humour, the game's strong suit. Or its weakness. They are pretty hard. Not impossible (so far, at least), but challenging. I tried to play the game while sleepy and got nowhere. Occasionally, I was left wandering about wondering what to do next, as the game doesn't signpost all that clearly. Thankfully, there are a few shortcuts via the map that allow the player to teleport to some locations without all that walking. I guess one must be prepared to backtrack and look for extra or forgotten clues occasionally. I can see that for some players, this will be punishing instead of rewarding. Many of the puzzles are multi-layered, requiring several steps before solved. I love that kind of puzzle, at the risk of not understanding what went wrong in the fifth step somewhere. And it may be a bit frustrating to see items that are unavailable that you need to try out a solution to something else.

I'll get back to this game for sure in February.

[Carles]

As I'm playing the games in the FYC thread, the last couple of days, I've been playing this one.

I'm liking it a lot. I'll be forced to take a break if I'm to try out the rest of the FYC games before the nomination date, but it's tempting to keep pushing on this one!

Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you're enjoying it. It is indeed a challenging puzzle game with a clear inspiration from Secret of Monkey Island. As you say, these two points can be seen as the best of the game and at the same time as weaknesses, since many people did not like the excessive difficulty or that it was too similar to SMI. It is not a game for beginners, but for advanced players in this type of games, and obviously, you have to like thinking for hours or days about a complicated puzzle.

As you have indicated in the other thread, one of the best puzzles is the chocolate bun puzzle, it is also my favorite, along with the archer puzzle

You still have a lot to go to finish the game, you have not even reached halfway!

[Durq]

I played this game many months ago, so my memory isn't fresh, but I remember that some of your "puzzles" were just frustrating exercises of the try-everything-on-everything variety until the player hits upon the obscure thing the developer had in mind (a problem players of this genre have been complaining about for decades).

[Carles]

Well, the truth is that I don't agree too much with what you say. Maybe some puzzles needed a little more clues or guides for the player, but I still think that the vast majority have logic (within a comedy) and are well justified. It is true that it is a classic adventure and not suitable for beginners, focused on solving puzzles. If you are looking for something else, this is not the game for you.

Many adventures have only puzzles using inventory items in the hotspots. In contrast, The Legend of Skye has a huge variety of different puzzles: matching inventory items, time puzzles, mazes, etc. Anyone looking for a classic adventure game with challenging puzzles will like it. But don't expect a hint book or anything like that. It's a game for anyone who wants to get their head spinning and get a little stuck from time to time.

[Durq]

Here are related comments from Steam and elsewhere:

"Sometimes I would have appreciated more feedback from the protagonist because sometimes it's not clear why some actions don't work (I don't want to spoil, but it concerns a little boat)."

"But the puzzle design is very bad puzzles are too obscure, and the game system lacks hints. If you don't do exactly what the game expects you to do you just get generic answers from the environment. Then all the fun fades out because it just gets to the point of you trying every item with every other item or environment object to find the solution."

"lacks guidance and feedback, making it more frustrating than it needs to be."

"Lazy English translation, unbalanced puzzles, no voice actors. So much of it was right and I tried to enjoy it, but the nonsense puzzle solutions were what ruined it for me"

"Actually I would be very surprised if most people managed to beat it without hints."

"There isn't enough feedback when trying different interactions. For instance, when I try to grab the paper boat from the canal, the protagonist says, 'Can't reach it with my hands.' Huh? It looks like she could just reach over the canal wall and grab the boat, but whatever. So I try to snag the boat with the long poker and spatula, but the protagonist just responds with the generic 'That won't do any good' response. Not okay."

"The puzzles are sometimes quite obscure and the game does not really help you either: Often you get generic answers and no hints on how to progress. I felt reminded on Discworld's 'That does not work'."

"I got very frustrated and didn't know how to move on"

"Some difficult puzzles I needed to use the walkthrough for"

"The dialogs are full of typos and incorrect English (the German translation is also done poorly). Many of the puzzles feel random and there are too few hints that nudge you in the right direction"

"the dialogue for some of the characters does not use phrasing that you would expect from someone in that position. I have already encountered typos as well, so that makes me a little worried for the rest of the game"

"The lack of sufficient signposting at times will make many gamers glad that The Legend of Skye comes with a complete walkthrough"

"as well as inventory puzzles that are sure to remind players of the old adage to try everything on everything, since solutions aren't always so easy to come by."

"Other puzzles can be quite daunting at times, too, since it's often unclear what you're supposed to do. You'll wander around collecting a bunch of inventory items quite easily, but without a clear idea of where to use them exactly. Indeed, The Legend of Skye's signposting leaves something to be desired."

"it also can border on frustration, with many puzzles that are a bit too layered for their own good. If only Skye would comment on what you were trying to do – not giving solutions away, of course, but perhaps just pointing you in the right direction."

"Cons: Lack of signposting may make the walkthrough almost a necessity at times"

"The Legend of Skye ignores 30 years of quality-of-life improvements."

"Imagine my frustration when one puzzle directed me to send a paper boat downstream and recover it before it reached a certain point. Easy enough! Except, no, the game wants me to put a coin in the boat and fish it out with a magnet attached to a fishing rod, with zero dialogue to nudge me in that direction or reason why Skye couldn't just grab the boat or use her reach-extending poker to redirect it, as she'd already done several times already."

"Without resorting to a walkthrough, you'll wander from place to place mashing items together without ever really knowing why. I'm well aware that most players approach these games knowing that puzzles are everywhere, using anything they find on everything they see accordingly, but it feels like the puzzles were designed with that in mind, with solutions like those above making no sense or not being alluded to by the characters."

"a game that has some of the most bizarre puzzles I've ever experienced"

"a lack of signposting"

[Carles]

Thank you for providing me with a compilation of negative comments that are all over the web, your effort is greatly appreciated. You've made a very good selection, as 94% of the reviews on Steam are positive.

I can make you a list with extremely positive comments about the puzzles and the game in general. As well as specialized magazines that have given it high marks. Not to mention that it was nominated for best puzzles at the AGOTY Awards.

But I'm not going to waste my time doing this.

[heltenjon]

I've now finished the game. I spent far more time on the city part than the later parts. While there were times I walked around and didn't know what I was supposed to do next, later on I felt this was more streamlined.

My end verdict is still that I liked the game, and I also like the character Skye better now. I liked that in act two,

Spoiler

the characters and locations changed a bit, like the naked druid started selling energy drinks, and people appearing on top of the summit.

[close]

And I liked that some areas were closed off as finished/unavailable, as it saved me from needless walking (and the dev from needless coding).

A bit about signposting, in spoiler tags:

Spoiler

I read the other spoilers in this thread now, and I see that you only recently added the description in the enchanted forest. For me, I think this would have been almost impossible without that comment. With it, it wasn't hard. But the moss is so hard to spot in some of the pics that I doubt I would have picked up on it without the description hint.

The longest I walked around cluelessly, was when I needed to dress up like a sentinel. I thought I would need the bucket as a helmet to battle the witch, and so I tried a lot of other actions to get the witchslayer sword, including trying to alert the sentinels, trying to switch it when the shopkeeper was in the safe, pushing him into the safe, sabotaging his comic book and so on. At this time I also tried to solve the puzzles I couldn't do yet, like getting the card from the baker and more. While the city offers a pretty open world, the story needs to be quite linear.

[close]

In the later acts, I thought the signposting worked pretty well, and I always knew what my end goals were.

I often found myself solving a puzzle before I was supposed to, though. Like with the witch,

Spoiler

I had found her grimoire long before she had told me to look for it,

[close]

or with the gnome

Spoiler

who wanted a gem or crystals, when I already had tried to use that crystal everywhere else in the game. That one was due to a pixel hunt - I missed a hidden hotspot on the mountainside.

[close]

This also made a small continuity error,

Spoiler

because Skye knew that the beast only ate toads while in the front end of the cave (trying to feed him meat), before she learned it from the gnome on the top of the mountain.

[close]

Such details pop up from time to time, and of course it's not gamebreaking in any way, but it is noticable. If I give a bogus name, I will assume that the character will address me like that for the rest of the game, unless I tell him my true name. (The druid with the hat does this exactly right!)

One possible improvement would be to try to give responses to more solutions that players are likely to try. Why does one item work and another not? When trying to get the chocolate bun,

Spoiler

I actually went straight for the fishing rod, but in real life, if that didn't work, I'd build something that would block and stop the bun from sailing on. If I was worried about sharp rocks, I'd try to move them.

[close]

I know this is hard to do, but as a player, it is very rewarding when I'm told why my idea didn't work.

While I enjoyed the game, I think the criticism about signposting is fair. I would rather be stuck on a hard puzzle than walking around a large map and not being sure what to do next. And I am a puzzle lover, so I had no problem with the odd logic in some puzzles. I mean, I wrote about a magnetic rat in a puzzle creation contest, so I feel at home with some of the gag puzzles in a way that perhaps not all do. Monkey Island had a couple of signpost misses, too, so don't feel bad about it.

[Carles]

Yes, I agree that at some points in the game it would have been nice to have a few more signposts, to prevent the player from getting lost and to give him a clear objective.

Regarding what you say about the game's acts, I think the second one (the one in the city) is the most complete, non-linear, and the one with the most interesting puzzles, although it is also the most difficult. The rest of the game is more linear, and that simplifies puzzle solving for the player.

You are also right that sometimes you can solve a puzzle before you know you had to do it. It is difficult to avoid this in very open games with different lines of simultaneous puzzles. In the game I am developing now, I am avoiding it.

It is also true that it lacks more specific answers to the actions that Skye does with inventory objects, instead of generic ones appearing. The game really has many specific answers, but being so big, with so many inventory objects and so many possible combinations, many of them were not taken into account.

Regarding the sentinel puzzle that you struggled with,

Spoiler

I must say that the game gives some clues. Bard tells you repeatedly in a conversation that he is afraid that a guard will come into his tent and catch him with the mushrooms. 

[close]

Thanks for your post and I'm glad you liked it. 

[heltenjon]

Regarding the sentinel puzzle that you struggled with,

Spoiler

Spoiler

I must say that the game gives some clues. Bard tells you repeatedly in a conversation that he is afraid that a guard will come into his tent and catch him with the mushrooms.

[close]

[close]

Thanks for your post and I'm glad you liked it.

Oh, I liked it. Regard this as (hopefully) constructive feedback. The sentinel puzzle:

Spoiler

I did pick up on the clues - I did try to alert the sentinels. What I didn't do, was to connect the helmet shape with the sentinels - I was sure I was going to need full armor against the witch, so I put it aside as something I didn't need yet. I'm much better with textual clues than visual ones.

[close]

One thing that I was sure was going to happen, but didn't:

Spoiler

There was no puzzle where I had to find replacements for missing bits of all the garden gnomes.

[close]

It is also true that it lacks more specific answers to the actions that Skye does with inventory objects, instead of generic ones appearing. The game really has many specific answers, but being so big, with so many inventory objects and so many possible combinations, many of them were not taken into account.

What happens, is that when a game is inspired by a well known game (MI in this case), the player will draw comparisons, and it's hard for an indie dev to live up to the legacy of a whole team making a smash hit. It's not exactly fair, but there it is.

I'm on board for the next game.

[Carles]

What happens, is that when a game is inspired by a well known game (MI in this case), the player will draw comparisons, and it's hard for an indie dev to live up to the legacy of a whole team making a smash hit. It's not exactly fair, but there it is.

Totally true.

I'm on board for the next game.

Thank you very much. 

[croquetasesina]

I enjoyed the game like a little boy. It certainly managed to capture my attention, not only the graphics, which are in the style I personally like, but the puzzle design and the story. I look forward to seeing more developments on your future games. I'm sure they will be great successes like this one.

My sincere congratulations, it's a game worth playing, without any doubt.

[Carles]

I enjoyed the game like a little boy. It certainly managed to capture my attention, not only the graphics, which are in the style I personally like, but the puzzle design and the story. I look forward to seeing more developments on your future games. I'm sure they will be great successes like this one.

My sincere congratulations, it's a game worth playing, without any doubt.

Thanks croquetasesina! I don't even need to say anything about The Adventures of The Black Hawk, it was a great coincidence that two games inspired by the classics came out in the same year. We should make a game together sometime. 

[croquetasesina]

Thanks croquetasesina! I don't even need to say anything about The Adventures of The Black Hawk, it was a great coincidence that two games inspired by the classics came out in the same year. We should make a game together sometime. 

I'm sure it would be a great experience!

[Gary Gallo]

I absolutely loved the naked druid! His lines are pure gold—I lost it laughing more than once during his dialogues. He brings so much charm to the game and really gives it that unique vibe you don't see often in modern adventure games. His reactions and witty comebacks are just next-level comedy! Which character surprised you the most? Anyone else stand out with the same kind of bold and unforgettable personality?